Poured into fluted snifter; clear amber orange with a nice fluffy off-white head that sticks around. Leaves a bit of fine lacing as it descends slowly. Smells like a simple pale ale...clear caramel malt with grassy, lightly crisp citrus hops and pine resin. Tastes like a pale ale combined with a strong ale; sticky caramel malt, with a pang of alcohol and some grassy crisp citrus rind hops. Mouthfeel is surprisingly light, although a bit sticky. Overall, another winner from ST. They're excellent at creating light-tasting but strong beers, and this "imperial pale ale" style is neat.

A - Bright, orange gold color, minimal head pouring out of the bottle dissipating quickly. Underwhelming

S - Grapefruit front and center softened by caramel from the malt

T - Rich malts balanced by citrus from the hops, dries out yet doesn't go overboard on the bitter and finishes sweeter than I anticipated from the 'super hopped ale' indicated on the label. Hops on finish become more pronounced as I continue. Very nice

M - Creamy and full bodied with medium carbonation

O - Fantastic American Strong. Much more pleasant than double IPAs that leave your mouth a sandbox. A couple more steps and it would basically be a barley wine but this beer is very drinkable

A - pours a clear sparkling gold, with little to no head. Carbonation is visible but not abundant.

S - Grassy hops, hints of onion, and not much else. A touch a malt surfaces from the loads of booze that it throws as it warms.

T - More pine and grassy hops, with a nod in the direction of pineapple and mango. Booze is quite apparent as well. Okay, but not great.

M - Tingly carbonation, that doesn't do much for this (IMHO) mediocre beer. It pushes the light hops across your palate, and isn't too soapy, so I guess it has that going for it.

O - I fail to see what the allure of this beer is, other than lack of accessibility. I mean, $22 for a six-pack? REALLY??? The most pedestrian of IPA offerings have more going on than this, at a fraction of the price! If you're a "ticker" as the saying goes, and you can buy a single to try, do so. Don't be suckered in by the "super hopped" claim on the packaging, or the fact that it really IS THIS EXPENSIVE. I just didn't get it.

Pours a crystal clear, light honey-gold with 2 fingers of fluffy white head that leaves a solid cap and thick patches of lacing. Smell is quite intriguing. A little citrusy, a little funky, a little floral, and a little biscuity.

Light-medium-bodied with less carbonation than expected, given the amount of head retention. Just slightly viscous, which I like. The flavors pick up the intrigue where the aroma left off. Grapefruit and orange peel with faint bitter grassy pine and a dry, peppery spice. Grainy malt backbone is not quite sweet, but offers some balance. A bit more spice and alcohol warmth come through on the finish. The individual flavors are rather subtle, but this is a beer that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

This was an interesting one. There were scents and flavors I couldn't quite put my finger on. Maybe a bit of mint in there? To be honest, halfway through I wasn't sure how much I liked it. By the end I was wishing I had put more than one in my mixed 6-pack. Overall I highly recommend it and I will be circling back to this one soon.